Part TwoWhat do you do when you want to start writing poetry? Hopefully your answer is “I start writing.” Even writing a terrible poem is better than waiting for the “right words.” You can always throw your poems away, right? The important thing is that the process has begun. You’ll find the right words sooner than if you just wait. Here are some more specific ways to get started.
Try Singing a PoemTry an experiment – alone in the garage if you must. Describe anything, then describe it again, singing instead of talking. Notice that the words you use change. Sentences will be more rhythmic. It’s also easier to rhyme when you sing.
This works because singing comes from the right side of the brain, the side that handles pattern-recognition. When you sing, you access this part, and you get ideas or patterns of words that are difficult for your analytical left-brain to create. Try it.
Start With Poetic MaterialsTry creating poetry by listing words most likely to make decent poems. Words with emotional content, for example. “Love” or “worship” have more poetic potential than “like,” don’t you think? Browse a book, pick out powerful words, and write them down. Write words that rhyme with them alongside. Then start using them.
Try saying something dramatic, like “I sing of death,” or “Her eyes called out.” Let it come from somewhere deep inside, then start explaining what it might mean. This trick will almost certainly give you material for a poem.
Play with short verses, long verses, rhyming or non-rhyming poems. Write haiku. Write down your thoughts as fast as you can, without stopping. Don’t worry about quality at this point in the process. Just get that creative mind working. Later, when you find gems in the dirt, you can start polishing them.
You can find a few more poetic techniques in part three.